Grow crystals on a real fresh or dried rose. The crystal rose is preserved, so it will stay sparkling and beautiful.
Crystal Rose Materials
You’ll probably get the prettiest crystal rose using a bud, but I had an old rose in my garden, so that is what I used.
- Rose
- Borax
- Water
Crystallize the Rose
- Choose a cup or glass large enough to hold your rose.
- Fill the cup with very hot water.
- Stir in borax until no more will dissolve.
- For large crystals that sort of resemble dew drops, invert the rose into the solution and allow it to crystallize for a few hours.
- For small glittery crystals, filter the liquid through a paper towel or coffee filter to remove any undissolved borax. Pour the liquid into a clean, dry cup, add the rose, and allow it to crystallize for at least an hour. You can check on it periodically and remove it when you get the look you want.
- Remove the crystal rose and place it on a paper towel to dry. Once dry, you can place the rose in a vase, if you like.
Tips
The solubility of borax depends on temperature. If you want to get a saturated solution, use boiling water. Let it cool down near room temperature before adding the rose or else you’ll basically cook it. This leaches the color from the petals and gives you a droopy-looking flower.
The borax slightly alters the color of the rose. The color change is partly because the pigments in the rose are affected by the pH of the liquid and partly because the liquid leaches some of the pigment from the petals.
If you don’t have borax, you can use table salt, Epsom salt, or sugar. Providing your rose is free of pesticides and herbicides, a sugared rose is edible.
If you don’t have a real rose, don’t despair. You can crystallize a pipe cleaner flower just as easily.